HOUSTON - In this season of graduation and academic excellence, Lone Star College-University Park celebrates the recent accomplishments of its chapter of the national Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) organization. In March, the local chapter triumphed against 3,500 students at the annual Texas HOSA Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference in San Antonio. With the multiple victories, the chapter becomes eligible for honors at HOSA’s international convention in June in Orlando, Florida.

The HOSA chapter scored victories in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) partnership team category as well as in individual categories Extemporaneous Writing, Biomedical Laboratory Science, Nutrition and Medical Math. Out of the 300 postsecondary institutions that participated, LSC-University Park was the only community college competing in the state competition alongside multiple tier-one universities. This was the first time the chapter participated in the annual event.

“The most amazing part is to realize that we are going against several universities such as University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Texas Woman's University and so many more,” said Eric Doan, LSC-University Park HOSA chapter president. “We were the only community college that attended. Being able to place with all these great universities shows that community college students are just as prepared and more than capable of achieving success.”

HOSA is the largest international organization for students enrolled in health science and biomedical science programs and serves those interested in careers in the health industry. The student-led organization provides opportunities for them to practice and refine their academic, technical, leadership and teamwork skills to achieve seamless transition from education to career.

“LSC-University Park HOSA is an exemplary representation of the quality of groups that successfully navigate academics and student life on our campus,” said Dr. Shah Ardalan, LSC-University Park president.  “Our students have made an incredible mark, and we are very proud of their accomplishments. Faculty have prepared our students to go far, and this is just a glimpse of the great things our students accomplish inside and outside the classroom.”

In the team category, Anissa Dada, Eric Doan, Victoria Rances and Ayah Sham captured first place for their presentation summarizing community activities they co-organized with the Houston-area MRC. The activities varied from inviting health care professionals to speak to students, informing the community about how to prepare for emergencies and how to use a fire extinguisher. The team volunteered in events such as the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and others in the period of eight months. The activities hosted at LSC-University Park demonstrated how improvements in public health and increases in emergency response capabilities strengthen the resilience of the community.

In the individual competition, Josh Wright received gold in Extemporaneous Writing, and Maria Grajales also captured gold in Biomedical Laboratory Science. Makensie Balcar received silver in Nutrition while Jane Lim Jing Ting placed fifth in Medical Math.

Biology professors and HOSA advisers Sonal Tonger and Michael Elder work closely with the academic program and HOSA students at LSC-University Park.

“There is a stigma that you can’t go to a community college and compete in HOSA at a high level. I want high school students in our community to see that at this community college we are equal and have the same potential to succeed as a university,” said Elder.

The LSC-University Park HOSA team will move on to the HOSA 42^nd Annual International Leadership Conference scheduled June 19 - 22 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.